Beginning Pixel Art

Foundation elements for drawing pixel art. This tutorial is from 2008.

These are the very basics of pixel art – it’ll be the foundation for whatever you decide to pixel. Whether it be dolls, animals, or your toothbrush!

What is Pixel Art?

Your computer screen is made up of many tiny little squares called pixels. Each pixel holds a single colour. Pixel art is the placement of these pixels and choosing the colours they hold.

Drawing Lines

Because pixel art is made up of tiny little squares, drawing lines on certain angles looks better than others.

Good and jagged lines

Notice that the pixel placement is very uniform, it goes up in steps of one or two pixels, which is why it looks nice and clean. It’s not always possible to stick to these “perfect” lines when pixelling, but whenever you can, do so.

Varying line angles

The 30 degree angle is technically not 30 degrees, but hey, it’s close enough XP

Drawing Circles & Curves

Good and jagged circles

To get a nice, gradual curve, we have to gradually decrease or increase the length of the lines we use ^^ The circle below starts at 3, then decreases down to 2 pixels, then 1. This keeps the curve gradual.

The steps down to draw a quarter of a circle

Use these basics to draw your own basic pixel doll.